January + February Wrap Up | 2017

This is so, so late, but now it's here so let's get started.

JANUARY

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE: 5 stars - I mean, this is a reread, but I had never read through the illustrated version, so I finally did that. It's exactly as beautiful as you imagine it would be.
THE MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW: 4 stars - This is another reread for me and it's one of my favorites of the Narnia series. I am finally going to finish this series this year (spoiler: I'm already on book six). This is the first in the Narnia series, and it builds the world amazingly. It's definitely top 3.
AFTER THE FALL: 1.5 stars - This book was such a disappointment. There's no way I can summarize all of my thoughts into a few sentences (see the link in the title for my GR review) but overall, I think this book tried to be too many things and in the process, it swept consent and rape culture under the rug.

THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE: 5 stars - It's hard to accurately rate or order this book in the series because I've read this book and seen this movie so many times and it's one of the first stories--even before Harry Potter--that I fell in love with. This was my last "official reread" of the series before continuing onward.
MARCH, BOOK ONE: 5 stars - Everyone needs to read this series of graphic novels. March is a trilogy of Maus-style graphic novels following John Lewis, as told by John Lewis, and his time involved in the civil rights movement in the southern US. This first volume is Lewis in college and in Tennessee, where he and a group of activists did sit-ins in diners.
PAPER PRINCESS: 2 stars - This was horrible, but I enjoyed it? I kind of hate myself for it. This is not YA; I do not care how it's marketed--it's not. It's trope-y and cliche and just doesn't make logical sense for most of the book. Also, I'm fairly sure no one edited this book because the grammar was shockingly horrible.

FEBRUARY

GOLDIE VANCE, VOL. 1: 4 stars - I got an eCopy of this from Netgalley because I knew that I was about to request it from my library anyway, so why not try from Netgalley? And I got approved. *background cheering* This is basically a new middle-grade comic series from Boom!Box (my favorite press, see also: Lumberjanes, Giant Days) that's a new-age Nancy Drew with diverse characters in a hotel. It's Nancy Drew meets Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Highly recommend.
THIS SAVAGE SONG: 4.5 stars - This isn't my favorite work of Schwab's (that will always be Vicious) but it may be my favorite idea of Schwab's. Clearly, I enjoyed it, but it was just a little slow in the beginning. This world is divided because violence breeds monsters and two families have different ideas of how to handle those monsters. It's great. It's book one of a duology, and I'm so excited to read the second when it releases.
BROKEN PRINCE: DNF - I tried and gave up four pages in. It was unbearable. 0/10: would not recommend.

LUMBERJANES, VOL. 4: 4 stars - I love Lumberjanes. I think it would take a major fuck-up from the writers and the press for me to not love Lumberjanes. Read this series if you haven't already.
PRINCE CASPIAN: 3.5 stars - Technically, I read Caspian and Horse and His Boy out of order, but I actually don't care. I really love this movie (partially because I love Ben Barnes, but I digress) and this is essentially the same thing but Caspian is, like, 12 and I felt very uncomfortable the entire time because I had to keep reminding myself that he is an actual child. It was enjoyable, but it wasn't as special or moving as the others in the series.
THE HORSE AND HIS BOY: 3 stars - Literally, if people had told me/I had ever bothered to look up that this was set in the time when the four Pevensies were present kings and queens of Narnia, I would have read it sooner. I enjoyed it more than I thought, but it wasn't as gripping as Caspian.
RADIO SILENCE: 5 stars - Again, there's no way I can summarize my feelings, so please read my full review (linked in the title) but this is a fantastic story with incredible diversity that takes place in England. It's important and beautiful and has a great mother-daughter relationship. Please read it.

GOALS UPDATE

52 Books In the Year: 12/52

Picky Pledge: 2/12

17 "Need to Read" in 2017: 3/17

Whew. Long post is long (*piece of cake to you if you made it through the entire thing*), but now it's over and you can tell me how your reading has been going? Have you read any of these books? Do you want to? Tell me down in the comments!